1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory device and method of fabricating same. More particularly, the present invention relates to capacitor fabrication techniques applicable to dynamic random access memories (DRAMs) capable of achieving high capacitor capacitance by forming high surface area electrodes or storage nodes.
2. State of the Art
A widely-utilized DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) manufacturing process utilizes CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) technology to produce DRAM circuits which comprise an array of unit memory cells, each including one capacitor and one transistor, such as a field effect transistor (FET). In the most common circuit designs, one side of the transistor is connected to external circuit lines called the bit line and the word line, and the other side of the capacitor is connected to a reference voltage that is typically ½ the internal circuit voltage. In such memory cells, an electrical signal charge is stored in a storage node of the capacitor connected to the transistor which charges and discharges circuit lines of the capacitor.
Higher performance, lower cost, increased miniaturization of components, and greater packaging density of integrated circuits are ongoing goals of the computer industry. The advantages of increased miniaturization of components include: reduced-bulk electronic equipment, improved reliability by reducing the number of solder or plug connections, lower assembly and packaging costs, and improved circuit performance. In pursuit of increased miniaturization, DRAM chips have been continually redesigned to achieved ever higher degrees of integration which has reduced the size of the DRAM. However, as the dimensions of the DRAM are reduced, the occupation area of each unit memory cell of the DRAM must be reduced. This reduction in occupied area necessarily results in a reduction of the dimensions of the capacitor, which in turn, makes it difficult to ensure required storage capacitance for transmitting a desired signal without malfunction. However, the ability to densely pack the unit memory cells while maintaining required capacitance levels is a crucial requirement of semiconductor manufacturing technologies if future generations of DRAM devices are to be successfully manufactured.
In order to minimize such a decrease in storage capacitance caused by the reduced occupied area of the capacitor, the capacitor should have a relatively large surface area within the limited region defined on a semiconductor substrate. The drive to produce smaller DRAM circuits has given rise to a great deal of capacitor development. However, for reasons of available capacitance, reliability, and ease of fabrication, most capacitors are stacked capacitors in which the capacitor covers nearly the entire area of a cell and in which vertical portions of the capacitor contribute significantly to the total charge storage capacity. In such designs, the side of the capacitor connected to the transistor is generally called the “storage node” or “storage poly” since the material out of which it is formed is doped polysilicon, while the polysilicon layer defining the side of the capacitor connected to the reference voltage mentioned above is called the “cell poly.”
A variety of methods is used for increasing the surface area of a capacitor. These methods include forming the capacitor with various three-dimensional shapes extending from the capacitor. These three-dimensional shapes include fins, cylinders, and cubes. U.S. Pat. No. 5,457,063 issued Oct. 10, 1995 to Park and U.S. Pat. No. 5,459,094 issued Oct. 17, 1995 to Jun each teach methods for fabricating such three-dimensional shaped capacitors for memory cells. However, as with other known fabrication methods, these methods require numerous complex steps in forming the capacitors.
Another method used for increasing the surface area of a capacitor includes forming rough or irregular storage node or electrode surfaces. Commonly-owned U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,494,841, 5,340,765, 5,340,763, 5,338,700, hereby incorporated herein by reference, each teach forming a rough surface on the capacitor storage node by depositing a hemispherical grain polysilicon on the capacitor storage node, then blanket etching the hemispherical grain polysilicon (or similar technique), which forms a textured surface thereon. Although the use of such hemispherical grain polysilicon techniques is very effective for increasing the surface area of capacitor storage nodes, the techniques require numerous production steps to form the rough surfaces.
Other methods of increasing the surface area of the capacitor storage node have also been proposed. U.S. Pat. No. 5,466,626 issued Nov. 14, 1995 to Armacost et al. teaches using a micromask formed by agglomeration material, such as gold, titanium nitride, or titanium silicide on a surface of a substrate. The agglomeration material is used as a mask for selectively etching the substrate to form recesses therein to increase surface area for the subsequent formation of the storage node or electrode. U.S. Pat. No. 5,508,542 issued Apr. 16, 1996 to Geiss et al. teaches using porous silicon as a first plate of a capacitor structure which also increases the surface area for the subsequent formation of the storage node or electrode. However, both of these techniques require multiple processing steps and/or specialized materials.
Therefore, it would be desirable to increase storage cell capacitance by forming a rough or high surface area capacitor storage node (electrode) while using inexpensive, commercially-available, widely-practiced semiconductor device fabrication techniques and apparatus without requiring complex processing steps.